Term One Test

The first term test consists of four essay questions to be answered. Two questions are to be answered before the test day and turned in that day (think of them as a well crafted essay of 2-3 pages with sources cited). They are from the essential questions within the various topics, and are listed below. The other two questions will be assigned on test day and are to be written that day. One will be from the list of essential questions and you will again get to choose from a list of them. The other question will be selected for each individual student based on the things that they studied and wrote about on their wiki during the term. Each question that you answer should show your breadth and depth of understanding of the topic, and should be developed as a traditional essay, with a clear introduction of the topic and logical flow of argument/evidence from paragraph to paragraph.

Question 1: Choose one of the following three questions:

• What role did religion play in the founding of the colonies and the United States of America?
• Compare and contrast different kinds of settlements in colonial America, such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Bay, and Jamestown.
• Outline the events that led directly to the Declaration of Independence by the colonies.

Question 2: Choose one of the following three questions:

• Pretending that you are there in 1787, describe the pros and cons of the federal system at that time.
• Analyze the government established by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Which elements remain important today and which seem more for that immediate time period?
• Explain the differences between the early political parties -- Federalists and Democratic-Republicans -- and how those differences played out before and after the election of 1800.

Questions 3 and 4: To be given on test day.